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goMac · Mar 21, 2003, 05:50 PM

Conundrum today is unveiling the XScheme format, the first modern theme format for Mac OS X.

First, XScheme breaks all the rules. It is a file instead of a bundle, meaning less complex distribution, and less side effects such as themes adding fake system files to the startup disk control panel.

XScheme also takes advantage of compression, making themes on average 4 times smaller, and even smaller when re-compressed.

Hashes are also supported by XScheme, adding extra security by giving theme developers the ability to compare individual files.

Software developers can easily support XScheme by using the ThemeKit framework. ThemeKit natively supports XScheme and all its functions.

To find out more information on the XScheme format, check out:

http://conundrumsoft.com/XScheme

We plan on adding more information soon.

bbxstudio · Mar 22, 2003, 11:17 AM

Interesting, but there are no details...

1. How easy is it going to be for us to adapt existing .theme and .dlta files to .xscheme? Will there be a .dlta/.theme>>.xscheme converter that makes this easy?

2. You say that Geekspiff has helped develop the format, so will themepark be able to develop .xschemes?

3. The compression you speak of - does it actually compress graphics with a lossy compression algorithm like JPEG or GIF or will it leave every single pixel's information unscathed?

4. Are 'hashes' embedded with every resource by default or is this something that will require conscious inclusion on the part of theme developers?

5. How will multiple varations or subthemes be handled?

goMac · Mar 22, 2003, 01:18 PM

Originally posted by bbxstudio:
Interesting, but there are no details...

1. How easy is it going to be for us to adapt existing .theme and .dlta files to .xscheme? Will there be a .dlta/.theme>>.xscheme converter that makes this easy?

2. You say that Geekspiff has helped develop the format, so will themepark be able to develop .xschemes?

3. The compression you speak of - does it actually compress graphics with a lossy compression algorithm like JPEG or GIF or will it leave every single pixel's information unscathed?

4. Are 'hashes' embedded with every resource by default or is this something that will require conscious inclusion on the part of theme developers?

5. How will multiple varations or subthemes be handled?

1. Yes, it should be out by today.

2. I'll let smeger answer that question.

3. It does not actually compress the graphics themeselves, there is no quality impact.

4. Hashes have to be handled automatically although hopfully theme creation tools will handle them automatically.

Jasoco · Mar 22, 2003, 09:24 PM

Ewww.. a SINGLE FILE?

That's a sucky stupid idea. I LIKE packages. I LIKE going in and editing stuff. Stupid STUPID..

I don't like it.

Unless Duality 4 GT works well and Theme Park can edit these flawlessly, I will protest outside my local Starbucks carrying a sign that says "Xschemes Xuck".

Packages rock. Don't shun them.

Synotic · Mar 23, 2003, 10:13 AM

With the compression, I think he means data compression, not image compression (in other words).

mrbiiggy2 · Mar 23, 2003, 01:33 PM

Let's take a step backwards in theme development why don't we?

goMac · Mar 23, 2003, 04:27 PM

Originally posted by mrbiiggy2:
Let's take a step backwards in theme development why don't we?

How is file compression, advanced security via hashes, and the use of XML a step back? The file format isn't closed, just put it through Property List Editior like an Info.plist. All the stuff added in XScheme would have just made things more complicated in a bundle. Imagine having to uncompess and recompress files to change them, blech. ThemeKit makes this easy by handling this all for you. People can design custom ThemeKit programs to do various things to themes. I'm sure a Cocoa developer could build a simple theme editing program. It sure isn't taking me long to code Catalyst in ThemeKit.

bOOzo · Mar 23, 2003, 04:38 PM

I think it sounds good, but it's important (to me at least) that it's easy to edit the themes. That is what I like about dlta, it's so easy to make changes.

foobars · Mar 23, 2003, 04:56 PM

Originally posted by Jasoco:
Ewww.. a SINGLE FILE?

That's a sucky stupid idea. I LIKE packages. I LIKE going in and editing stuff. Stupid STUPID..

I don't like it.

Unless Duality 4 GT works well and Theme Park can edit these flawlessly, I will protest outside my local Starbucks carrying a sign that says "Xschemes Xuck".

Packages rock. Don't shun them.

I agree this is NOT good at all. I for one ONLY like to install the Extras.rsrc file and leave the rest of the system unchanged.

I am very dissapointed.

Jasoco · Mar 23, 2003, 05:03 PM

Me too, but according to the new Duality 4 GT you'll be able to choose what you want to install. But still, I don't know if I want to trust Duality anymore after the damn Boot problems I had a while back. Supposedly they fixed them, but I'm scarred for life.

Besides, I like using the Terminal to copy the files into place. Makes me feel powerful.. And I don't even own an iPod!

smeger · Mar 23, 2003, 07:41 PM

I'm still evaluating ThemeKit, but I'm about 98% sure that I'll be adding XScheme export to the 1.0 release of ThemePark.

BTW - as I understand it, XSchemes are flat XML files which are human-readable and human-editable. The data sections of the XML files (the areas that contain binary representations of images, for example), are compressed non-lossily.

Please correct me if I'm wrong, Colin.

goMac · Mar 23, 2003, 08:13 PM

Originally posted by smeger:
I'm still evaluating ThemeKit, but I'm about 98% sure that I'll be adding XScheme export to the 1.0 release of ThemePark.

BTW - as I understand it, XSchemes are flat XML files which are human-readable and human-editable. The data sections of the XML files (the areas that contain binary representations of images, for example), are compressed non-lossily.

Please correct me if I'm wrong, Colin.

That would be correct.

mrbiiggy2 · Mar 24, 2003, 01:37 AM

Originally posted by goMac:
How is file compression, advanced security via hashes, and the use of XML a step back?

I was referring to single-file distributions.

keston · Mar 24, 2003, 08:00 AM

I think from a user perspective, if like the OS9/Kaliedescope days I just have to select one file and BOOM theme would be applied... I would LOVE that. Would be cool to have a theme preference pane, where i just select the theme file without any other hassle. Or if it read theme files from a common location/folder and gave me a list of themes.

keston · Mar 24, 2003, 08:09 AM

Just looked at the screenshot of Duality 4 GT, this looks like exactly what I wanted.

Jasoco · Mar 24, 2003, 02:33 PM

Originally posted by keston:
I think from a user perspective, if like the OS9/Kaliedescope days I just have to select one file and BOOM theme would be applied... I would LOVE that. Would be cool to have a theme preference pane, where i just select the theme file without any other hassle. Or if it read theme files from a common location/folder and gave me a list of themes.

This is what Packages are for. Throw all the files in a "folder" and it acts like a file. Don't stray from the Package metaphore.. I love Packages. I HATE single file things. They make me all floopy.

goMac · Mar 24, 2003, 07:05 PM

Originally posted by Jasoco:
This is what Packages are for. Throw all the files in a "folder" and it acts like a file. Don't stray from the Package metaphore.. I love Packages. I HATE single file things. They make me all floopy.

One problem with packages is that they can be very messy at some times, such as when someone is downloading themes without theme software. There are also some functionality concerns, for example custom bootx files will appear in Startup Disk when you use packages. Packages are great for bundling files, I admit, but even in Apple's package formats most often times (.app packages are the exception) files are not accessable for these reasons. In my opinion (which should be pretty good, considering I was the one who put themes in packages in the first place two years ago) packages were only a temporary solution, and a quick hack (original theme packages ONLY showed as folders). The intention was always to go to a single file format. I probably will code a program that allows you to veiw and edit the contents of an XScheme in the Finder. XScheme still provides all the fixes that were originally intended to be fixed when the first theme changers (MMX and XMorph) were roadmapped. Duality 4 GT is the end of the roadmap that was created. Thats not to say there aren't several other things being worked on.

Jasoco · Mar 24, 2003, 07:10 PM

Why not just work with ThemePark and turn it into the be all end all Theme creation station allowing changing of not only Extras.rsrc data but also Boot Screens, Login screens, the buttons from the Login screen, the Finder toolbar buttons, even the desktop picture and icons. Make it a one stop application to edit everything Theme's require.

??

goMac · Mar 24, 2003, 07:14 PM

Originally posted by Jasoco:
Why not just work with ThemePark and turn it into the be all end all Theme creation station allowing changing of not only Extras.rsrc data but also Boot Screens, Login screens, the buttons from the Login screen, the Finder toolbar buttons, even the desktop picture and icons. Make it a one stop application to edit everything Theme's require.

??

This would be up to Smeger. He could quite easily do such a thing with the ThemeKit framework, which he will most likely use anyways for XScheme saving.

bOOzo · Mar 25, 2003, 05:30 AM

One SUPER important thing I just remembered -- Will Duality 4 GT and xscheme fix the localization issues with the Localized.rsrc file? Will it patch the used Localized.rsrc instead of just replacing the english Localized.rsrc? So that you have the Finder buttons no matter what language you use. If not - fix this! Please!

goMac · Mar 25, 2003, 08:36 AM

Originally posted by bOOzo:
One SUPER important thing I just remembered -- Will Duality 4 GT and xscheme fix the localization issues with the Localized.rsrc file? Will it patch the used Localized.rsrc instead of just replacing the english Localized.rsrc? So that you have the Finder buttons no matter what language you use. If not - fix this! Please!

Yes it will.

bOOzo · Mar 25, 2003, 10:20 AM

Originally posted by goMac:
Yes it will.

Great!